The Diocese of Trenton will again conduct its own #GivingTuesday campaign to promote and advocate for the gift of Catholic schools.
The goal is “to come together, build awareness and provide support [for Catholic education],” said Christine Prete, of the diocesan Department of Development. “We’re hoping that it energizes people; we want people to focus on little gifts with lots of participation.”
Coming on the heels of Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the worldwide charitable campaign of #GivingTuesday falls on Dec. 3 this year. #GivingTuesday has gained traction as a way of galvanizing people to unite in charity and make a change in one’s community as the year’s end approaches.
In the Diocese of Trenton, #GivingTuesday was first conducted in 2016 as a way to benefit Catholic schools across Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties. In 2018 the campaign focused on tuition assistance; this year will allow each participating Catholic school to list specific needs on a personalized online landing page. Participants will be encouraged to make a financial contribution to the school of their choice, commit to volunteering their time at a school in their area, or to share a prayer for Catholic schools. Anyone can participate – family, friends, alumni or any supporter of Catholic education. To take part, visit www.LeadinFaith.org.
The weekend of Nov. 23 and 24, parishes in the Diocese of Trenton will take up the annual collection for the 2019 Catholic Campaign for Human Development, or CCHD. The campaign, which is the Catholic Church’s domestic anti-poverty, social justice program, seeks to address the root causes of poverty in America through promotion and support of community-controlled, self-help organizations and through transformative education.
Of the amount collected, 75 percent will be sent to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ national CCHD office, where the money will be used to support larger, often national programs for improving the lives of the poor. The remaining 25 percent remains in the Diocese to support more local, grassroots programs.
You can read more about CCHD by visiting www.usccb.org/cchd
Brenda Rascher, executive director of the diocesan Office of Catholic Social Services, urges support for the work of CCHD. She shares her own story about biking across America to raise awareness to help break the cycle of poverty. You can read this story on TrentonMonitor.com by clicking here.
